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In all the examples you've given, you should use either "a" or "the" before the word "symbol", because "symbol" is a singular noun. They are both types of articles; "a" is an indefinite article, and "the" is a definite article. Use an indefinite article when you are talking about something in general. In the second example, you use "a" because a dove is one of several symbols for peace, not the only one. In the third example, "the" is used because it is referring to a specific tree--the one in the picture. You could just as correctly say that "a tree is a symbol of life" if you were talking about trees in general, rather than the tree in the picture.